A literary novel - don't look for any plot because there isn't any. The characters are about as Faulkneresque as you can get, moved forward into the modern times of the late twentieth century. Poor, white trash, low-down, dirty, nasty, men and women. You know it's going to be bad as soon as you start reading it, and it's worse. Yet you can't look away.
I also read Fay, some time ago. Fay makes an appearence in this book, before she runs off to ruin some lives in her own novel. The writing is great, even if the subject matter is dark and gritty. There is none of the obfuscation of Faulkner - everything is plainly written and easy to follow, even if you don't really want to know what is happening.
It's a shame Larry Brown died young. I get the feeling he was writing what he knew in these books, and I can't help but wonder if that didn't contribute to his early death.
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